It seems to me that his--the Indian's--name for this Lake--Tahoe--is both euphonious and full of poetic and scientific suggestion.

It is poetic in that it expresses in a word the unequaled height and purity of so large a body of water, and scientific in that it is truthful and accurate.
But Fremont, the discoverer, evidently did not ask or seek to know its Indian name.

As stated elsewhere he erroneously conceived it to be the headquarters of one of the forks of the American river, flowing into the Sacramento, and he so depicts it on his map, giving to it the two names "Mountain Lake" or "Lake Bonpland." But neither of these names was acceptable and they practically dropped out of sight.
When the first actual determination of Tahoe's outlet through the Truckee River was made is not definitely known, but its approximate location was well enough established in 1853 to enable the official map-maker of the new State of California to depict it with reasonable accuracy, and, for some reason, to name it Lake Bigler, after John Bigler, the third Governor of California.
Citizens are still living both in Nevada and California who well remember when the Lake held this name, and the majority of people undoubtedly used it until 1862.

Officially, also, it was known as Lake Bigler in 1862, for in the Nevada _Statutes_ there is recorded an Act approved December 19, 1862, authorizing certain parties to construct a railroad "to be known as the _Lake Bigler and Virginia Railroad Co_., to commence at a point on the Kingsbury-McDonald road known as the Kingsbury and McDonald Toll House, thence along the southern and eastern shores of _Lake Bigler_, and in most direct practical route, to the divide between Virginia City and Washoe Valley on east side Washoe Lake, over and through the most practical pass to Virginia City," and a further right to construct branch road from Virginia to Carson City, Nevada.
In 1861, however, while Downey was Governor of California (he having been elected Lieut.

Governor, and taking the office on the resignation of Governor Latham in January 1860), an attempt was made to change the name from Bigler to the fanciful one of Tula Tulia, but fortunately it failed and the old name remained in general use.
But in 1862 another effort was made in an entirely different direction and this time with success.